April 8, 2001 — LONDON — A British watchdog group this week said irradiated food is illegally being sold there.
The Food Magazine, which is published by the Food Commission, said several leading supermarkets and health food stores were found to be selling irradiated product, even though none were labeled as such.
In a sampling of 18 frozen prawns over the last five years, 7 had been irradiated, according to the report. Trading standards officers in Suffolk confirmed those numbers. All irradiated products are required to bear labels.
The watchdog group is planning to launch a food irradiation campaign to raise awareness, according to Kath Dalmeny of the Food Commission.
“Good food does not need irradiating. The supermarkets know customers do not want irradiated food, and reputable part of the food industry do not want it either, but it is creeping in by the back door,” Dalmeny said.